ee ee =upemmepEe pn a ee Other Arts & Review the Other Press October 15, 1992 Changing State of Mind by Angus Adair “Ch Ch Ch Changes” -David Bowie-Changes The Autumnal Equinox isa day ofchangeand soitseemed apropriate that this was the day that Vic Wayne, the lead singer of State of Mind, and - Icame together for the first time ina bee to discuss a very new State of a iG band posseses more focus now and a harder edge . They have done away with close to 14 so which while good, were sending bandintoomany different directions. Vic and I talked at length trying to define the sound and finally notplay withthe fusionand technical tightness of Eli Paull( the previous drummer) but has supplanted his own highly solid chops which possesses thespontaneous vibe found more often in rock and hard edged music. The rest of theband has notbeen idle . Vic continues to write powerful hard edged guitar tends to direct the flow. ReeceTerriscontinues toexpand the defintion of keyboardist. Using little or no synthesizer but simply experimenting with different amplification feeds and distortion peddles is producing some rather unique sounds. State of Mind. Clockwise from riaht: Vic Wavne, Reece Terris, Steve Monteith, Matt Holden, and Bruce McKinlay. concluded that they had acheived a sound of their own. Fansnoticeittoo. Moreand more people are saying to the members of State of Mind, “I really like yoursound”. What has preciptated this change ? An entire new rhythm section.”These guys are difinitely moresexy than the other guys,” Iwas assured. Matt Holden has taken over on bass and background vocals . As a result the band has gained the advantage of a bass player with a good ear for melody who doesn’t “compete” with the other instruments. Bruce McKinlay now provides the drum beats. He does and intense lyrics that have always been true to where he comes from. That scene is the underground Edmonton music scene which has produced some amazing talent from The Pursuit of Happinessand Junior Gone Wild to some skilled backup musicians that have played with Spirit of The West and Sara McLaghlan. Steve Monteith continues to improve on guitar and his sounds are more prominent on the new material. The effect is somewhat of a reversal of thesound of State of Mind. In the earlier material, the rhythm sectiondominated and the guitar was just enhancement. Now, Monteith’s Artiscally speaking, State of Mind has never been better. Despite the grey cloud of two band members leaving , the silver lining has contributed imeasurably toforginga more powerfull group of artists Preserving one’s artistic integrity when youare writing about some of the social issues, big and small, that populate a song list for State of Mind, is always important. We talked about the almost McCarthyist feel for musicand TV in the states. We also discussed how some bands have become separated from their audience with continued successand how this canaffectartistic vision. Westopped midway through our interview so that Vic could speak to a friend who had just walked by. She was newly married and pregnant, and Vic was genuinely more interested in catching up on these significant events in her life than he was in promoting himself to me. It spoke volumes for how unisolated he is despite the success he and the entire band have begun to enjoy and which he continues to downplay. I have no doubt that it will take a while for State of Mind to lose it’s audience and it’s connection to people. On the topic of censorship, Vic said that any major record label that would pressure him not to write a song like Cry Out Loud because it deals with some issues about AIDS wouldn’t understand why they should be signed in the first place. There isa distinct trend in music lately. More and more music with a message - with artistic vision - is finding the words to express the overwhelming angst of our generation. The bands are diverse in their style but they are all a Cry Out Loud to whoever is listening. They are the folk music of what some see as a lost generation joverwhelmed by what the previous generations have done. I feel now, morethanever before, that State of Mind will continue to speak volumes through their music and willcontinuetochallenge people touse their headsand think about the world in which we live. We need State of Mind. Some of the old fans have walkedaway from Stateof Mind claiming that they “used to be fun”. Truth is; State of Mind has simply moved from being social consciousness you can dance to towards consumate recording and rforming artists who make you think. While I enjoy the former I prefer the latter. The future, no doubt, holds many more positive changes.Advance word is that another album, from State of Mind may soon be arriving and sis a major label deal to boot, if things go well. There is also the possibility of tour schedules soon being arranged, if State of Mind can avoid having to compete with the mega tours. Look for more of State of Mind. After a lot of time and effort, their time has come, evenifsomepeopledon’tknow it yet. To Censor or Not to Censor? by Karen Rempel Censorship withclout:caveman A says “Man you are one ugly mother”; caveman B clubs caveman over the head. And so begins the human race’s long and uneasy association with censorship. The recent controversy over rapper Ice-T’s song, “Cop Killer”, brings aoe to the forefront again. Some peopleareasking recotd companies to censor their artists’ lyrics. But the real issue is far more basic. Today thecensorshipargument revolves around two seemingly opposing viewpoints. On one side, om of expression. On the other side, propagation of hate messages that lead to stereotypes and possibly to murder. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinionand expression,” So states the Cinited Nations General Assembly in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This statement was made in 1948, three years after Hitler’s murder of 25 million people. Hitler’s death- toll is often quoted by people who favor censorship of hate messages. Ice-T himself used this argument in aninterview with the Vancouver Sun: “Who's moredangerous, who’smore powerful, the guy out on the street with a or the guy who talked him into doingit? ...somebody like Hitler.” Ironically, Hitler gained his power through suppression of freedom of speech. No one presentiteastnat Wie ... acts like Madonna opposed his own. In fact moeren an ve WON'T De affected, new rappers will have a harder likened attempte 2 censorship of an stated to Newsweek that while controversialacts like Madonna won't be affected, new rappers will havea harder time getting. signed..The messageisclear:ananti-blackdouble- standard. The movie Terminator II portrayed violence against